YOST wiring (was Re: Datacenter tools?)

Thu Jun 3 14:49:35 PDT 2004

Ok, I'm going to share my happy wiring experience.
Just because I want to.

A visit to the recently found joys of Yost Wiring.

(google for it).  Wiring scheme by Dave Yost that I've thought was
fine and good,but had no opportunity to really USE until recently.

Running wires from machine THIS to modem or other machine THERE
and finding the x-overs or gender changers - we've all done it and,
in a pinch, the stuff you need is missing. At work we have terminal
crash carts, but most of the CPUs have RJ45 adapters SCREWED hard
on them and the terminals have DB25s.  So I got the stuff to fix
that (20 minutes of work after franticly unscrewing the connector
and cursing the person who did the 80% job).

Now I'm in the process, at home, of wiring the cabinet - terminal
server and machines to use YOST wired serial cables.  As in
datacenters, all the serial and network cables go to a patch panel.
Perhaps one panel per 4-5 cabinets.  I run bundles of 4 CAT5s to
a few places in the cabinet.  Different colors boots on them
(red/green/blue/purple).

ALL the serial ports that are DB25/DE9 have an adapter screwed
on making them YOST wired.  All of these get a CAT5 to the patch,
labels and they needn't move.
 Computer serial ports?
 Modem?  To patch panel.
 Weather station?  Patch panel.
 Serial digital IO device that reads sensors and turns on the sprinklers?
   Patch panel.

No more scrambling for that M-M changer for the Sparc 20 or a
DE9 -> DB25 that's ALWAYS got the wrong sex on it.

A 4"  RJ45 plug -> RJ45 socket adapts the netra  and another box
to YOST wiring (at 9600 baud, maintaining CAT5 twists is kinda moot
in that 4" frankenstein).  Short and clearly an adapter.

I'm still making the wires to run the all the Annex TS ports to
the YOST panel.  I've got 8, enough for now.

In the end, I use a flat "flip over" RJ45  wire at the patch to
wire things together.  The YOST glory is that ALL The devices at
the panel are the same.  I can wire a modem to another modem with
the same wire that I do computer -> modem.  Key:  NO THINKING REQUIRED.

So I have the weather station (RS232 DCE) and several serial temp
probes, a terminal and a FAX modem and 2 serial ports per machine
on the patch panel.   I will have 16 Annex ports on the patch panel.
I usually just wire from TServer <-> computer console.  My weather
station software isn't liking the TS yet, so it's just on TTYB of
a machine, via the panel.  

EVERYTHING uses an 8" blue "cisco console" cable.  When I need the
terminal on the Sun directly, I patch it.  Otherwise it's into
the Annex.

Again, in the heat of crap going wrong, the "no thinking" patch
cable is best.  On another patch panel, is network.

Both ends CLEARLY marked.  But once the machine is in and wired,
it's pretty moot.  (My home is an odd situation with machines passing
through).